The Lenovo Legion 7i Pro is often significantly less expensive than the MSI Raider GE78 and has commendable performance for general usage, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks, along with a portable design and reliable battery life. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly option that does not compromise on performance and portability, the Legion 7i Pro stands out. However, the MSI Raider GE78, while often significantly more expensive, offers top-tier performance especially for 3D and machine learning tasks, thanks to its more powerful graphics. It comes with double the storage space and has a larger screen, but is slightly heavier with a bulkier power brick, which could affect portability. If you prioritize ultimate performance and are willing to invest more, the Raider GE78 might be the better choice, especially for heavy-duty tasks. Both laptops have robust build quality, good keyboard features, and are suitable for intensive gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has no clear advantages over the MSI Raider GE78.
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE78
Best in class for gaming and AI
Good battery life
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.7/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
469.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE78 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i for content creation, and software development.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and the MSI Raider GE78 offer displays with high resolution and brightness, providing crisp visuals and good viewing experiences for general activities like browsing or video streaming. For engineering and design, both systems have screens with wide color gamuts, ensuring that professionals can see accurate colors for their projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates may lead to less smooth visuals, which can be a drawback for fast-paced games or rendering scenarios where fluid motion is crucial.
Portability
Fair
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
6.1 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has only fair portability, while the MSI Raider GE78 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$2,499
$4,386
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has a price of $2,499 and the MSI Raider GE78 costs $4,386.
The MSI Raider GE78 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
9.1/10
9.5/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE78 to be best in class for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is excellent for gaming and 3D with its Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a high refresh rate screen, providing good image quality and fluid visuals. The MSI Raider GE78 is considered the best for these tasks, as it steps up with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and comparable screen refresh rate, leading to higher potential performance in demanding gaming and 3D scenarios.
Engineering and Design
9.3/10
9.4/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
9.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE78 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both excellent for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and MSI Raider GE78 both offer high-quality screens, substantial RAM, and top-tier CPUs and GPUs ideal for engineering and design software; however, the Raider GE78 has a more powerful GPU for potentially smoother graphics performance and double the storage but is less portable due to its larger screen and heavier weight. Additionally, while both have excellent keyboards, the Legion Pro 7i might be preferred for its slightly higher portability and longer battery life, which are important for on-the-go work, though it compromises on screen size and the utmost GPU power found in the Raider GE78.
Content Creation
8.5/10
8.8/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE78 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.2/10
8.5/10
9.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The MSI Raider GE78 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i has 5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE78 has 6 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
8.5/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and MSI Raider GE78 both have very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and the MSI Raider GE78 compare to other laptops
"Passionate gamers who want to play demanding modern titles with maximum details and don't mind spending the moolah will find the Lenovo Legion 7 Pro to be the right choice. The bright, sharp, and color-accurate 16:10 QHD 240 Hz display makes for an immersive viewing experience. The hardware is housed in a stylish chassis that feels premium and scores well in terms of workmanship and stability. Other aspects such as sound quality, input devices, and connectivity also seem to be near-perfect."
"Performance-wise, the GE78 offers a significant boost over the GE77 for just slightly higher power consumption. You'll have to get the RTX 4080 or 4090 configurations to see the performance advantages, however, as the RTX 4070 is closer in performance to the older RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of design, some users might prefer the 16:9 minimalistic look of the older GE77 over the 16:10 retro-inspired GE78 and vice versa. We wouldn't call one better than the other in terms of aesthetics, but we'll give the edge to the GE78 for its stronger hinges and larger keys and clickpad."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i or the MSI Raider GE78
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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